1. Technical Field
This invention relates to storage systems that facilitate both display and storage of devices such as Compact Discs, DVDs, CD-ROMS, etc., as well as accompanying descriptive matter media.
2. Background Art
The recording industry historically produced works of entertainment, such as music recordings, on vinyl records. Starting with two songs to a record (one on each side), the industry moved to long-playing (LP) albums that held many songs of the same artist, or group. Because of their size, these albums allowed the manufacturer to include a variety of descriptive matter on and in the packaging of such recordings. This included photographs, artwork, printed copies of lyrics, editorial material known as “liner notes,” package inserts, and other items (henceforth, “descriptive matter” or “descriptive matter media”, as appropriate). To many purchasers, these photographs, artwork and/or other materials added substantially to the enjoyment and appreciation of the musical recordings, and made the “package” that consumers purchased a multi-dimensional product that engaged their imaginations on multiple levels. In addition, the large size of the packaging, photographs and artwork made each individual LP album a collectible “keepsake” item that consumers could display in their homes (often by standing up face forward, individually or as group, leaning against a wall, furniture, or a stereo system). In such manner, the album package served as a demonstration and reflection of the music collector's identification as a fan of the particular recording artist or recording.
Recent improvements in technology have resulted in the development of large capacity storage media that are much smaller; for example, compact discs, which measure only 4.5 inches (approximately)—as compared to 12 inches (approximately) for an LP record. Unfortunately, the small size, offering approximately 14% of the area that an LP offers, makes the inclusion or display of associated photographs, artwork, and other materials problematic. The currently most common means for storing CDs that are sold in stores is a plastic box—commonly referred to as a jewel box—that encases a single, or very few, CDs (or DVDs). These boxes are substantially the same size as the CDs and, consequently, they do not lend themselves easily to the inclusion of significant amounts of descriptive matter generally, and descriptive matter media in particular. Moreover, the compact size of the jewel box makes the storage and organization of larger collections of CDs awkward and unsatisfying to the collector. Further, it is difficult to maintain the storage order of many small sized containers. Still further, the jewel box itself is a clumsy container that makes repeatedly accessing the CD frustrating, and there is relatively little display value to these diminutive packages.
At times, one can find particular collections of CD recordings that are released in so-called “box sets,” which often employ collector keepsake packaging in a larger format than that used for individual CD recordings; such box sets, however, serve only to store those specific CDs which are sold in the set (which CDs are generally new compilations of existing recordings, as opposed to the actual albums which the fan previously owned and cherished as a vinyl LP) and therefore offer no storage for the other CDs in any fan's collection, or in particular, for the CDs which the fan most cherishes. More recently, box sets are being issued in reduced, jewel box sized packages, to accommodate the racking systems of record retail stores, thereby minimizing or losing entirely the positive artwork packaging elements of the box set.
One alternative means developed for storing CDs are various systems of individual plastic “sleeves” or “envelopes” which the consumer can substitute for the jewel boxes. These sleeves or envelopes, however, although less awkward and clumsy than the jewel box, do not lend themselves to being or remaining easily organized, and maintain the same size disadvantages of the jewel box.
Another alternative are storage folders which have been developed to store CDs and their accompanying artwork books (i.e., what is commonly called the “CD booklet”) without the jewel box, in an attempt to offer a uniform method for storing entire CD collections in a less awkward, more accessible and organized, fashion. These folders typically have pages that essentially consist of four clear or partially opaque envelopes that hold CDs with their booklets in the same envelope. Although these folders allow CD collections to be stored in a more uniform and more organized way than systems for storing individual CDs in separate boxes or envelopes, they do not permit the CDs or DVDs to be displayed or appreciated as a collection. While they provide a means for storing numerous CDs in a relatively compact space, they generally only permit the CDs to be stored in generic folder cases, which further negate any collector keepsake elements of the collections. Moreover, because these folders store CDs in generic folders they do not lend themselves to easy organization; and because the envelopes are designed to either hold both the CD and the CD booklet together, or to file them separately and lose up to half of the advantage of compact storage, they are not as easily accessed or organized as they would seem.